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Last Updated:
Jan 3rd, 2010 - 00:09:53
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Question
I am 45 years old. I have 3 children 10, 8, and nearly 3. I have been trying for a baby for a year. I have regular cycles 28 days long. Ovulation kits show I am ovulating.
How do I know I can still conceive?
Jackie
Answer
Dear Jackie,
At 45 years of age, you are fortunate that you have a three-year-old. Fertility decreases as women age, so much so that among women who are from 45 to 49 years of age and who are not using any method of family planning there is only a 2 to 3 percent chance of becoming pregnant. By this time, most available eggs have matured and left the ovary. Then too, even if you are still ovulating regularly or sporadically, dwindling and fluctuating hormones can also affect your aging cervix, which in turn may not be producing the slippery, fertile-type mucus which is absolutely necessary for sperm survival and motility. If the sperm is blocked by the dry, tough, infertile-type mucus at the entrance to the cervix, it dies there and cannot make it up to the ovum even if you do ovulate.
The good news is you can help your chances by learning to chart your menstrual cycle with one of the methods listed on our web site. In that way you will recognize the clear, stretchy mucus at the time of ovulation as well as be able to evaluate other important signs of a fertile cycle.
Congratulations on the nice family you have!
Carole Roadarmel
Carole Roadarmel has been a certified NFP teacher of the Billings Ovulation Method in Santa Maria, California, since 1987.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
The information on this page and web site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment by a physician.
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